Is the Internet addictive to children?

NBC's Erin Real reports the EU is taking steps against Meta and Instagram, should the U.S. start doing the same thing?

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
On the Legacy Retirementgroup dot Com PhoneLine. Aeron Reale, NBC News Radio.
Happy Friday, Aaron, and goodmorning. I see the European Union
is taking steps to make sure kidsdon't become addicted to Facebook and Instagram.
What are they doing? Yes,so they are leading the way. European
Commission, which is the executive armof the EU, they are going to

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consider whether Meta has complied with thisobligation that is under the Digital Service Act.
It's the block's sweeping new law forplatforms. So basically what it does.
Non compliance is going to result incompanies being fined up to six percent
of their global revenue or being forcedto change their software. And this is
a heavy lift and a big burdenfor a lot of companies and probably going

(00:42):
to lead the way here. Sodo we think that we'd follow suit in
this country if as we watch whathappens here with the Europeans, We're certainly
going to watch and they certainly areaddictive. Listen, Europe has really led
the way in terms of privacy anddata and also keeping kids safe and on
the Internet. They have more regulationthan us, and a lot of people

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don't like regulation. But I thinkwhen it comes to the Internet. It's
an interesting space where you see alot of folks being like, yeah,
let's regulate this, who otherwise areanti regulation. Listen, there are for
profit entities that run this. Theywant to get in as many hands and
they don't necessarily care about the outcome. They will claim they do. They
will claim they have this is fromMeta themselves. They say that they have

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fifty tools and policies designed to protectkids. But the kids aren't safe there.
They see terrible things. They youknow, are mentally unwell, spending
too much time on it, andthe executives at these social media companies don't
let their own children on it.I think that says it all, doesn't
know, Yeah, that says itall. Right there Aaron Real, NBC

(01:47):
News Radio. And it's interesting,Aaron, that they're picking on Meta.
With the Facebook and Instagram, Idon't know how many how many kids these
days are actually on Facebook. Facebookhas kind of moved into the forty plus
crowd, and kids are more onInstagram and TikTok and snapchat these days.
Yes, and Meta owns Instagram andalso overseas, it's a little bit more

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popular with the younger people Facebook,but yes, you're right, that is
correct, and obviously one of metasstrategies is whatever's up and coming, they
kind of buy it. That's kindof they're like they bought Instagram. They
buy the things that so even ifI would, I would get or that
Instagram is not the last of thesocial media companies we're going to see.

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We're not like done. There's goingto be something out of after it,
and Meta will absolutely be in lineto buy it if it sees any sort
of growth potential. So they havethey have billions of dollars, and I
think that regularly, big, big, big entities that have proven they can't
be trusted with not only our databut also our children's well being. And
they are addictive by design. Theyliterally they have the gamification that that's what

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they do. And I'm not evenangry about that, but when it comes
and not that my opinion matters,but I think as a parent, and
you're kind of like, yeah,these guys have been able to run wild
for a long time and it hasnot good well for the children. Perhaps
this is a good direction we're goingin.